Tusla Enhanced Coaching Skills: Building Capacity in the Family Support Workforce

Supporting the emotional wellbeing of children, young people, and their families demands a resilient and highly skilled workforce. Recognising this, Tusla—the Child and Family Agency in Ireland—partnered with Worth-it to co-develop the Enhanced Coaching Skills: Working with Young People and Families programme. Informed by the latest research and sector-leading approaches, this initiative seeks to embed evidence-based positive psychology and coaching psychology into Tusla’s National Approach to Practice and aligns with frameworks such as Signs of Safety, the Lundy Model and the ICF Core Competencies.

This bespoke programme was developed to build upon the established strengths of Tusla’s social work and family support teams. It equips staff with advanced coaching skills to address challenging behaviours, facilitate repair in family relationships, and support families and young people through difficult transitions. By further embedding the coaching mindset and practical competencies detailed in Worth-it’s Positive Psychology Coaching approach and the Tusla Coaching Skills Programme, practitioners are better able to move beyond quick fixes. Instead, they are empowered to adopt reflective, relational practices—creating the time and space necessary to help families uncover their own capacity for positive change, as emphasised within the ICF Core Competencies and Signs of Safety frameworks.

Why did Tusla choose Worth-it?

Tusla required a partner with an in-depth understanding of the complex realities facing disadvantaged young people, and using coaching with vulnerable young people. They sought an approach that would go beyond standard training models, aiming to facilitate a genuine organisational shift. Tusla needed a collaborative partner capable of helping embed evidence-based positive psychology coaching into everyday practice—supporting staff to address not only the challenges but also the strengths inherent in direct work with young people and families.

Worth-it provided a bespoke framework that both recognised and validated the coaching skills already present within the workforce, while introducing evidence-informed tools specifically designed to address relational trauma and intergenerational challenges and disadvantage experienced in Ireland. The Train-the-Trainer model proved particularly attractive to Tusla, enabling the agency to increase internal capacity and ensure the longevity and sustainability of the programme beyond the initial implementation phase.

Project Implementation Summary and Timeline

The project adopted a Train-the-Trainer model to ensure sustainable, long-term impact throughout the organisation. Consultancy and delivery were carefully structured to complement Tusla’s ongoing organisational developments and integrated national service delivery framework. The approach drew on established practice through the Tusla Coaching Skills Programme, ensuring trainers completed the required training and co-facilitated all sessions alongside Workforce Learning and Development (WLD) qualified coaches. This structure facilitated the embedding of a flexible, blended learning programme, combining e-learning, independent study, and virtual classroom sessions.

Key Timeline and Tasks Undertaken:

• Phase 1: Discovery and Consultancy (November 2024)
  We conducted initial consultancy sessions to identify key themes, needs, and existing strengths within the Tusla workforce. We mapped out the need for trauma-informed practice, reflective spaces, and practical tools to support disadvantaged young people and their families.
• Phase 2: Programme Co-Design (December 2024 - January 2025)
  We developed a comprehensive blended learning digital programme. This included integrating Tusla's existing toolkits with new coaching resources based on positive psychology coaching. We designed a four-module structure aligned with Signs of Safety approach, Lundy Model, ICF core coaching competencies and existing national practice across Ireland and introduced enhanced coaching tools to a coproduction team of family front line and managerial support staff, including social workers, foster family support, housing and family support workers, analysing harm, setting safety goals, readiness for coaching, resilience building and identifying existing strengths.
• Phase 3: Pilot and Review (January 2025)
  We delivered an initial pilot of the coaching skills to a selected team from Cavan and Monaghan, followed by a review workshop to refine the content of the enhanced coaching skills to a three-module training programme, video content and a manualised Train-the-Trainer programme based on practical feedback.
• Phase 4: Train-the-Trainer Delivery (February- March 2025)
  We delivered four half-day workshops to the national workforce learning and development team. We equipped these trainers with comprehensive training packs, slide decks, and access to a suite of bite-sized digital videos and downloadable coaching resources hosted on Tusla's learning management system.
• Phase 5: Ongoing Rollout
  Aligned with organisational objectives, Tusla Workforce Learning and Development teams now manage the ongoing delivery of the three-week blended learning programme to 2000 family support and social work staff across the national organisation.

Delivery of the Project and Key Tasks

We delivered the project through a highly flexible, blended learning approach. The final training programme comprises the half-day modules delivered over a three-week period, each incorporating e-learning components, printable resourses, independent study, and a virtual classroom sessions. This structure ensures that all modes of participation—digital, self-directed, and interactive—are integrated to maximise engagement and learning outcomes for Tusla staff.

Key tasks included:

• Developing 4 theory videos to cover core elements of positive psychology coaching theory and retain fidelity of the programme.
• Creating a suite of flexible, tried and tested Worth-it coaching tools that are effective at supporting young people, such as the "Wheel of Life", "Asking for Help" cards, and reframing worksheets.
• Designing specific modules around trauma-informed goal setting, psychological safety, and active listening.
• Providing trainers with comprehensive guides on how to deliver the content both face-to-face and online.
• Providing an opportunity to create a reflective space and co-coaching activities for participants to integrate this learning into pre-existing training in a coaching approach to professional development
• Integrating the new solution-focused materials seamlessly with Tusla's existing National Approach to Practice and Signs of Safety framework.

What impact has the training had on staff and practice?

The programme has fundamentally shifted how practitioners approach their day-to-day practice. With its emphasis on reflective practice, perspective-shifting, and relationship-centred work and reinforced by the core coaching skills that are part of Tusla's organisational culture. Staff now feel more confident and capable when navigating complex conversations. This approach enables practitioners to integrate the coaching mindset and tools recommended throughout the training materials, ensuring their responses are attuned, evidence-informed, and sensitive to the real-world challenges young people and families face.

Key impacts on organisational practice include:

• Increased Confidence: Staff report higher confidence in challenging parents and young people constructively within coaching conversations.
• Shift in Culture: Teams are embracing a culture that values the "pause." Practitioners now recognise the importance of stepping back and using reflective skills rather than jumping straight to fixing problems.
• Enhanced Skillsets: Trainers and staff have successfully adopted the core coaching skills, including active listening, evoking awareness, and cultivating trust and safety.
• Integrated Support: Practitioners easily adapt the provided tools to meet the specific needs of neurodivergent young people and families facing complex challenges.

What has been the impact on young people and families?

The ultimate aim of this initiative is to enhance outcomes for the families and young people supported by Tusla. By transforming the nature of practitioner-family conversations, practitioners are able to create psychologically safe spaces in which young people feel genuinely heard.

Families are increasingly able to recognise and harness their own internal resources, as reinforced by guidance in the training and supporting worksheets. The coaching approach empowers them to build resilience, develop positive coping strategies, and set meaningful goals tailored to their context. Practitioners consistently observe that young people are more actively engaged with the support process, a result of coaching relationships underpinned by principles of equality, empathy, presence and trust.

What would you say to other organisations considering a Train-the-Trainer approach?

Investing in a Train-the-Trainer model offers a sustainable pathway for organisational development. By equipping your staff to deliver high-quality, evidence-based coaching training you ensure these skills are thoroughly embedded within your organisational culture. This approach validates and builds upon the hard work your teams already do, providing them with practical tools and frameworks to create lasting, positive change for those they support.

Find Out More and Next Steps

If you are looking to build capacity within your workforce and establish a sustainable coaching culture, we encourage you to explore our bespoke consultancy and training programmes. We can support you to audit your current practice, co-design tailored resources, and empower your teams to more effectively support young people and families